A new book has been released to help children understand what happens when a parent goes to prison.
My Dad’s Gone Away is a new book written by former AFL player Andrew Krakouer and former foster carer Jacqueline Dinan.
The picture book draws on the experiences of Andrew who was 13 years old when his dad was jailed.
A rising star of the 2000s with the Richmond Tigers, Andrew was sentenced to 32 months of imprisonment for assault. His own children were nine and seven at the time.
He was delisted by Richmond Tigers and after serving his sentence was picked up by Collingwood and a star was reborn.
Krakouer retired in 2013 and at his first speaking engagement he met Dinan. They exchanged numbers and she contacted him later with the idea of writing a children’s book dealing with his experiences.
Andrew says he was initially unsure of the project and how it would work in the context of a children’s book on such a touchy subject.
“I sat on it for a little bit and got back to her and said I was keen to be involved and try to give back to a little child or children who are in the same situation as me, and my daughters as well when I was incarcerated as well.
That’s why I wanted to support the book and be involved in the project.”
Andrew says children in that situation need clarity to understand.
“The grey area for me was the one where you aren’t quite sure what was happening and when dad’s going home.
Obviously they don’t need to know the ins and outs of crimes committed, but more clarity around, you know, dad or mum’s not going to be home for X amount of time, they’ve done something wrong and their punishment for doing something wrong is to go to jail.
For me, that would have helped.”
Andrew says his partner Barbara also had input in the book as well, having experience with a parent in prison when she was a child.
“For her to be able to put herself out there and be vulnerable and speak about her experiences as well, she had a massive hand in writing and supporting it.”
The book was published through First Nations publishing house Magabala Books which is based in Broome.
It was brought to life with illustrations done by Wuthathi and Muralag man Paul Seden who has worked on other books including Crabbing with Dad which he also authored.
Andrew says Paul was able to “encapsulate what we were thinking and how we wanted everything to come across with the soft tones, the shades that he used, and the illustrations were absolutely spot on.
One that I spoke about at the book launch, the daughter Tara, the main character visiting her father in prison with open arms, a moment you can be taken aback from, visiting in a prison but he (Paul) was able to capture that moment which is just full of joy and love with a father and a daughter able to embrace and hug through a pretty negative situation.
He was able to do an outstanding job and we were fortunate to work with him on the project.”
Andrew says the book has made him think about other topics he would like to write about.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider donating to NIRS today to amplify more Indigenous voices through media.
